News

SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed more than 100 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, importation of controlled substances, and assault on a federal officer.

SAN DIEGO – George Joseph Wellinger II pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting he intentionally targeted a member of the LGBTQ community and threatened her with violence via email. According to his plea agreement, the defendant admitted that he intentionally selected this victim as the object of his threat based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, and because of the defendant’s animus toward members of the LGBTQ community.

SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed more than 100 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances.

SAN DIEGO – George Demos, then-vice president at San Diego-based Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally selling 60,000 company shares, thus avoiding a $1.3 million loss by acting on insider knowledge about the labeling process for a prescription drug with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

SAN DIEGO – Geovany Andres Rojas, a suspected cocaine trafficker also known as Araña, was indicted by a federal grand jury today in a superseding Indictment with a new count of Narco-Terrorism.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Former Honolulu City Attorney Donna Leong and former Honolulu Police Commission Chair Max Sword pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that they conspired to illegally pay then-Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha $250,000 from city coffers without the approval of the Honolulu City Council while he was under federal investigation for corruption.

SAN DIEGO – Rodolfo Benjamin Silva, a prolific cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl trafficker who called himself the “King of Coke,” was sentenced in federal court today to 17.5 years in prison for distributing large quantities of illicit drugs in the U.S. and for facilitating the movement of cartel hitmen into the United States.

SAN DIEGO – Denny Thakorbhai Bhakta, who was convicted by a federal jury in October 2024 of securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a $35 million swindle that left his own elderly uncle bankrupt, was sentenced in federal court today to 235 months in custody. Bhakta was convicted of all 25 charges after a two-week trial.

SAN DIEGO – Marcus Ray Chavez was sentenced in federal court today to 262 months in prison for providing the fentanyl pills that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 15-year-old girl in 2022. According to court documents, on at least four occasions between September and November 2022, Chavez provided the girl with “M30” pills he knew were counterfeit and contained fentanyl, in exchange for sex with the girl. Chavez also admitted to knowing the girl was underage. On November 12, 2022, she fatally overdosed from pills that Chavez provided.

SAN DIEGO – Jonathan Tyler Gauthier pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the deaths of S.M.G. on September 7, 2022, and J.A.W. on December 24, 2022.

SAN DIEGO – Danny Nunez pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he supplied the fentanyl that caused the death of a 25-year-old San Diego woman identified in court records as “L.P.” on September 11, 2024.

SAN DIEGO – Odyssey Carrillo, a member of the Emerald Hills Bloods gang, was sentenced in federal court today to 168 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy involving coordinated violent crimes by street gangs.